Move Levy: No Moving From Wallingford to the U-District

The U-District light rail station at 43rd and Brooklyn will be finished in 2021. In the next 9 years, 45th through Wallingford will be redeveloped with 40 and 65 foot condos with bike-only parking, and the U-District is already springing up with bike-centered towers as part of the light rail rezone.

Despite this, the Move Levy makes no effort at all to help people biking or walking between Wallingford and the U-District. The plan gets locked in 1 month, then commits us to that decision for the next 9 years. Want to bike to the new light rail station just across I-5? You’ll be using sharrows on 45th street. Want to walk over there? You’ll be walking on a narrow curb while I-5 howls at you from below. The “plan” is that over the next decade nothing will change from how things are today:

An I-5 crossing near 45th is the top priority for Seattle Greenways for all of Seattle City Council District 4. East / West transportation alternatives are the worst transportation problem Wallingford suffers from, and 45th is a top location in the city for accidents between cyclists and drivers. After a few weeks of pressing Hannah McIntosh on this issue, the sole person processing levy feedback, she offered this:

I do want to be clear that right now the funding for major new construction for bicycles and pedestrians over I-5 in Wallingford is not included in the levy proposal. If this is a priority for your readers, please encourage them to complete our survey and come to the many events happening in the next two weeks to let us know. A current list of events is on our website at: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/ltms_involved.htm

Bike sharrow dead ending into bus bulb on 45th

Consider yourself encouraged! Since there’s only a couple weeks left to impact the next decade of bike and pedestrian investments in Wallingford, I took a walking tour of the area with U-District greenways folks. Hannah is too busy to reply to most emails, much less look at things on the ground, so it’s sadly up to neighbors to do this kind of walk through on our own.

When you walk through the area it’s evident why 45th has so many bike / car collisions. The sharrows on 45th never made sense due to heavy vehicle traffic, lack of space, and hills to climb when going West. The major investments for buses over the last few years have further compromised them by adding curb bulbs on 45th that don’t let cars or buses go around bikes.

The Bike Master Plan says that an East / West route should be done via a 47th street greenway and then a bridge over I-5. This is labeled catalyst project #7 on the map below. This makes a ton of sense, and if this levy funded the 47th street greenway and I-5 crossing that would be the best solution for the neighborhoods. It does neither:

When walking through the neighborhood with U-District greenways we came up with a cheaper alternative to a new bridge. It’s not as good as the 47th street bridge option, but at least it might get done in the next decade.

The cheaper alternative would be to put cyclists on 45th for the I-5 crossing, then move them to greenways on either side of I-5. Improvements to the bridge could be made that would benefit both cyclists and pedestrians crossing the bridge. The “X” nature of the plan would also help people get from light rail to a range of destinations:

The numbered circles on the map above correspond to these changes:

Complete the regional greenway in the Bicycle Master Plan on 46th and 47th except for the new I-5 bridge, with a gap between 4th and 8th. The greenway will connect to other regional greenways at Woodland Park Ave, Sunnyside, 12th, and 17th. It also connects to bike lanes on Latona / Thackery, cycle tracks on 15th, and the protected bike lanes on 11th and Roosevelt.

Add a new greenway on 4th to bring bikes down to 45th for the I-5 crossing, add a signal at 45th, then connect down to the existing greenway on 44th. Bike lanes on Latona / Thackery could also be used, but then bikes stay on 45th longer.

Plexiglass sound and safety barrier retrofit to a bridge

Add shared pedestrian and bike crossing improvements to 45th between 4th Ave and 8th Ave. This will be expensive to do correctly, but less expensive than a new bridge. One option is a new sound and safety barrier on the sides of the bridge, then extending the curbs inward to enable cyclists and pedestrians to share them. Measurements show there is room to extend curbs inward by a fair bit while still maintaining existing traffic flow.

Add a connecting greenway to 8th and a signal at 45th, similar to the one at 4th.

Build the connecting greenway from the Bike Master Plan to connect to light rail in the U-District as shown.

A push will be required to get any changes to the levy at this point, but we can’t let SDOT completely ignore the needs of our neighborhood. The only way to get noticed is to stand up and yell. Northgate did, and they are promised this if the Move Levy passes:

So, please take the time to release your work week frustrations on SDOT for screwing our neighborhood. If enough people write in and show up to meetings they will listen, and the sooner you do it the better. Everything gets locked for the next decade when this goes to city council in 1 month. Please tell SDOT that sharrows on 45th and over I-5 are not an acceptable long term transportation solution for Wallingford. Please tell SDOT to connect Wallingford cyclists and pedestrians to the U-District and the light rail station.

20 Comments

Westbound, I take 7th north from 47th, to 50th across the freeway, and then take 5th to 47th. I don’t see the attraction to the 45th link on your map, the Black Stretch, and the problems aren’t on the bridge. The bridge itself isn’t so bad for bicycling, but in front of the Blue Moon it’s crazy, and maybe less intense on the other side by Wine World but in combination with the steep climb is pretty disagreeable. Maybe there are reasonably cost-effective ways to make 5th and 7th work for these detours, and ride on 45th or 50th only on the bridge itself.

I walk 44th occasionally but don’t ride it. If it’s actually a reasonable route, that might be better for the east bound detour, with a wrong way cycle track up to the bridge on 5th. I have learned from painful experience though that residential neighborhoods are not good places to ride at downhill speed, they seem safer than the arterial but it’s an illusion. Traffic approaching an arterial looks first and will yield, in the neighborhood they just breeze through.

I sent the following to Allison who was listed:
Get Involved and Learn More
Learn more about the levy and share your feedback with us. There are many ways you can get involved in the discussion.
Questions? Contact Allison Schwartz, Levy Outreach Lead, at [email protected] or (206) 386-4654
________________________

Hello Allison,

It was brought to my attention by our local blog http://www.wallyhood.org. That there is little to no resources earmarked for east west bicycle or pedestrian access to the north south light rail corridor. I live on 50th and Latona and ride bike to school with my 10 & 12 year old boys via 50th Avenue. It is a harrowing experience to say the least. First we don’t even dare riding in the street as the traffic is way to intense from both a speed and quantity standpoint to be remotely safe. That places us on the super narrow sidewalks with no corner ramps and where one mistake will take them tumbling into traffic and certain death. The alternative is 45th Street in which traffic is even more intense and the intersections are effective freeway on ramps where drivers are more concerned about merging and racing than the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.

The blog post painted a pretty bleak picture of no hope to have bike and pedestrian safety improvements included in the upcoming levy. Is that true and if so, what can I do to generate support for changes that will incorporate these much needed safety improvements.

I fully support tying the greenway into 44th on the east side of I-5. When we get over the bridge the traffic bottlenecks and i have to go on the sidewalk.

Going westbound the uphill makes it very difficult. If there was an easy way to take a left onto 5th to jump onto the greenway at 44th it would make this more bearable. But how do you get in those turnlanes when going slowly uphill.

We live just on the west side of the I5 bridge, but hardly ever go to the University District because there is no easy way to get there.

The neighborhood is going to need any easy way to access the light rail. The connection has to be there.

Regarding pedestrian safety on 45th/I-5: as part of these upgrades, I am hoping repainting crosswalks are a priority. Walking across I-5 into the U-District on the north side can be very dangerous for pedestrians crossing 7th Ave NE / NB I-5 onramps. The paint has completely eroded away to the point where the crosswalk is completely unrecognizable. I have come within an inch or two of being hit here multiple times by cars trying to make a hasty right turn to get onto the freeway and not seeing that the walk sign is on for pedestrians.

Speaking as one who lives in Tangletown, I prefer the 47th bridge option – I would not go all the way down to 45th to cross I-5. 45th is an absolute nightmare westbound, as has been stated previously. I would just cross at 50th. It doesn’t seem too much to ask for improvements in multiple places along I-5.

Furthermore, there will also be a light-rail station at Roosevelt and 65th, which would actually be a more pleasant bike ride if paths were made more amenable to bikes. I’m thinking of the skinny little path between 63rd and Ravenna Blvd. Add a crosswalk by the bus stop and a path across the median, and that would be a pretty good link to the light rail station.

Improving options going under the freeway is cheaper than building or retrofitting bridges… though I really like the 47th bridge idea, as I said…

Also, I’m hoping that there is consideration for parking zoning for East Wallingford. We already have many weekly commuters who park in our neighborhood, then walk to a bus stop or ride to the University. And, when there are University events on evenings and weekends, the same happens.

While a bike/pedestrian-only crossing of I-5 sounds awesome, I think the money would be better spent on improving the crossings at 45th and 50th.

If you want to connect retail corridors and access to public transit, it’s probably wise to connect them in the most direct way possible. Would anyone who lives north of 50th or south of 45th really go out of their way to cross I-5 at 47th? I probably wouldn’t.

Doug; Totally depends on my final destination. I live on 53rd. I have to hit 50th any way. If I could have a nice experience on 47th, I’d be all over it. If I’m riding with my boys, I wouldn’t consider any other option. I’d go significantly out of my way to provide a safe riding experience.

We are all preaching to the choir. everyone should email and or call. In this city we have see time over time how the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Questions? Contact Allison Schwartz, Levy Outreach Lead, at [email protected] or (206) 386-4654

This constant argument on Wallyhood that is pitting this 47th St. Ped/bike bridge against the Northgate ped/bike bridge is depressing. The improvement in walkshed to the Northgate Link Station that is offered by that bridge far outweighs the improvement the Wallingford bridge would bring to our neighborhood. We’ve already got 2 bridges with biking/walking facilities 5 blocks from each other. Its not just that the Northgate bridge people are loudest. They have a solid argument, too. I’d love to have the 47th St. bridge, but not if the Northgate fund get pulled to build it.

Option 3 seems the most feasible, IMHO-the shared bike/ped retrofit. I agree with Justin, while a 47th street bridge would be a very nice experience- we’re flush with bridges, whereas the Northgate transit center would benefit immensely.

Yes to repainting crosswalks! If I’m walking to the U-District, I make damn sure to look over my shoulder and make eye-contact with drivers looking to get on the highway.

Hi folks, this is such a great article and important issue! For those who are passionate about this actually and head over to the SDOT survey, here’s some language you could use in the narrative part to get our point across… Of course, play around with it and make it yours…

“It’s critical that the new Link light rail system integrate with surrounding neighborhoods better, and particularly with bike/walking routes as well as car routes. Wallingford and UW have terrible connections for bikes and pedestrians via the 45th and 50th street bridges over I5. Connect Wallingford and UW through an East / West route via a new 47th street greenway and then a bike/pedestrian only bridge over I-5. This will plug bikes and pedestrians directly into the new rail station going in at 43rd and Brooklyn. If funding can’t be found for this, bike and pedestrian improvements must be made on the 45th and 50th street bridges over I5. The current sidewalks and bike lanes are unacceptable and extremely dangerous.

I think the 47th Street alternative is awesome and a great compromise between needs of bicyclists and motorists. This is exactly the plan we need to follow to provide transportation solutions for everyone, which includes cars, delivery vehicles, and emergency vehicles. Not everyone can ride a bike! Surely those young, healthy bike riders can go 2 blocks out of their way to take a safe and pleasant alternative to 45th & 50th. It remains a safer alternative than 45th & 50th all the way through the U-District as well, connecting to Roosevelt, 12th, and Brooklyn to access the transit stations. I’m shocked that this isn’t part of the Move Levy as this area is THE most dangerous area in the NE sector of Seattle, and especially the routes from Wallingford to the UW. SDOT is touting “safety first” and “net zero” as their goals. Make them put their money where their mouth is!

Fully support safety for pedestrians, bikers and cars and integration with the future light rail that has been needed for so long. That said I do not see why there needs to be another overpass built for this. Seems like retrofitting the 45th st crossing is the best option. If you can’t walk or bike another couple of blocks then…

The bike/pedestrian crossing in Northgate makes sense as there is no viable nearby option to cross 1-5 for NSCC. Let’s not turn this into a competition. Focus on the need and be realistic with funds and current infrastructure.

Just in case anyone’s still reading and thinks that meant there’s really no bridge to NSCC – actually, there is a bridge. 92nd goes right to NSCC. It isn’t right there at the station, but “If you can’t work or bike another couple of blocks then…”

Thank you for this dialog! Alicia your question …who is next? motivated me! I just completed survey and email to Allison.

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This community blog is all volunteer run, and we welcome articles from everyone in the Wallingford community. Something on your mind? Have a story to share? Please contact us at [email protected] today!

Editors rotate weekly. This week’s editor is Ben Robinson.

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